Well, it's been a several month hiatus, but I finally have some pictures (and some time) to bring the blog back! As an apology, here are a few songs instead of just the customary one:

I recently went on a much needed vacation with my friend, Joci, and got to experience some of the most beautiful places in the Southwest. We met in Las Vegas and then took the 712 mile loop pictured below.

After one night in Sin City, we left at 0 dark-thirty to make the three hour journey to Zion National Park, Utah. Although I expected a low-key drive, it was still amazing at how desolate things are out in most of the U.S. An example of the roadways we saw here:

WARNING: Because there's literally nothing to do in any of these towns, there are cops freaking everywhere looking to pull you over. Be extra careful....and that's all I have to say about that.We arrived at Zion at a little after 9, as we lost an hour going from Pacific to Mountain time. Shot of the entrance:

Our goal for the day was to reach the 5,790 ft summit of Angels Landing, a trail which 6 people have died on since 2004. We had already seen videos of people scaling the last half mile of the trail, so we were mentally prepared. It's so steep and narrow that it requires the use of grounded metal chains to support yourself on the way up. A montage of our journey from the canyon floor to the peak:

One side of the Angels Landing peak

The other side of Angels Landing's peak

Zoomed out view for scale

Endangered condor tagged with environmental protection number

The 2.4 mile hike to the top took about three hours due to its steepness and the sheer number of people on the trail. With paths as narrow as these, no one is rushing, and usually only one person can go at a time. Here's some video footage from the summit:

After the hike, we were both pretty exhausted and decided to head back to lodging for the night. We were pleasantly surprised by the amazing views just driving through the park.

If you ever get to go to this natural masterpiece, do it! You won't be disappointed. Entry about our Page, Arizona adventures to come soon.